Meet Michael Thackeray

How It Started

Replica Sabers began the way most good things do — as a genuine obsession. I've been fascinated by lightsabers for as long as I can remember, and in 2019 that fascination turned into something real: I started selling sabers, first through Etsy and then through my own website, hand-checking each one before it went out.

What set it apart from a hobby was that I could run the whole thing myself. I taught myself the craft side — prop making through CNC machining, 3D printing and other hands-on methods — and I already had the digital side covered: web design, SEO, and more recently AI. So rather than wait for anyone to hand me a platform, I built one. The storefront, the listings, the way people find us — that's all mine too.

What I Actually Do

I want to be straight about this, because a lot of shops in this space aren't. I'm not claiming to be a decades-deep film-industry armourer, and I don't pretend a saber is something it isn't. What I am is a specialist who has spent years — since 2019 — getting genuinely good at these sabers: knowing the electronics, the soundboards, the models worth stocking, and how to make sure the one that reaches you is right.

That means:

• Checking & testing: every saber passes through me and is powered on and checked before it reaches you — my 14-point check, below. Nothing ships that I haven't switched on.
• Configuration: where a saber allows it, I'll set up and tune the sound fonts and settings so it arrives ready to use, not as a puzzle to solve.
• Curation: I choose which models, boards and options are worth carrying — and which aren't. If it's on the site, it's because I'd stand behind it.
• Your UK point of contact: warranty, support, replacement parts and advice all come through me, here in the UK. No overseas ticket queue, no import limbo — a real person who knows the product.
• Prop making: alongside the sabers I do genuine prop and craft work — CNC machining, 3D printing and other hands-on methods.
• The whole storefront: the site you're reading, its design, and its search visibility are all built and maintained by me.

Built Different — and Honest About Why

I'm neurodivergent, and I've stopped treating that as something to work around. It's genuinely part of why Replica Sabers is what it is. The hyperfocus that makes me lose an afternoon perfecting one hilt's clash sensitivity is the same thing that makes customers open their box and find a saber that just works. The attention to detail isn't a slogan on a banner — it's how my brain is wired.

It also means I'd rather tell you the truth than sell you a fairy tale. This is a small, real, UK operation run by someone who cares about the product more than almost anything. That's the whole pitch.

The 14-Point Check

Every saber that leaves the workshop goes through the same 14-point check before it's boxed — ignition, sound, motion response, clash sensitivity, battery cycle, blade seating, threading, finish, and the rest. No saber ships without passing it.

It isn't a policy someone wrote for a brochure — it's just how I've always worked. You can see more of the process on our workshop page.

The Team

It's a small operation, and I like it that way. I run the business and handle the workshop; Sophie looks after customer service, so when you get in touch there's a real person on the other end. Between us, that's Replica Sabers.

Meet the team →